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Maintaining Your Deck In The Winter

Date Published:

October 5th, 2017

If you’ve just had a wooden deck installed, you will want to know right away all the things you can be doing to preserve it and make it last as long as possible. Although composite decks will last without much upkeep and require less protection from the elements, wooden decks can last long too if they’re properly maintained.

Winter can sometimes be a stressful time for a deck owner especially if it’s new because there’s always a chance that your deck could become damaged during cold or snowy days. In this blog, we’re going to talk about a few things you can do to help maintain your deck in the winter so you have a little more security.

Clean your deck

The first thing you will want to do is clean and reseal your deck. Start by sweeping away any dirt, leaves, or dust that’s on your deck. Make sure that you get any leaves stuck in between each board. Next, you’ll want to gently wash the deck with water and a deck cleaning solution which can be bought at most hardware stores. After it has dried, gently sand the surface of the deck. This will remove discoloration and make the wood take the sealant better. Finally, you can seal the deck.

Use a plastic shovel

When it comes time to shovel snow off your deck, you won’t want to be using a metal shovel. Although wooden decks are designed to withstand the weight of snow, they will have little protection against any scrapes or gouges created from using a metal shovel. Additionally, metal shovels can become barbed at the tip due to extended use. If you don’t inspect them before using it on your deck, it could do some serious damage. The great news is not all plastic shovels nowadays are flimsy and breakable and you should be able to find one that won’t damage your deck.

Avoid using salt to melt ice

If you live in a place where it’s frequently icy due to cold weather, you’re probably used to using salt to melt it. Ice can be dangerous, especially if it’s black ice or covered by snow. However, it’s important that you don’t use salt on your deck. It will create pitting and drying on the wood that will weaken it and can’t be easily recovered. There are other de-icing agents on the market that would be a better option for using on your deck.

Don’t let moisture stay on your deck

One of the biggest benefits composite decks have over wooden decks is that they don’t take water damage. Although your wooden desk will hold snow just fine in the winter, you’ll want to make sure that water is getting cleared off as the snow melts. That means checking to make sure there aren’t any puddles forming and that your deck has a proper drainage system in place to get rid of excess water.

Before winter hits, you’ll want to make sure you have proper deck drainage systems in place to ensure that your deck isn’t damaged. Contact Colorado Deck Drain Experts today for more information!